2023 NFL Draft Profile: Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
Hendon Hooker is a former four star recruit out of Greensboro, North Carolina. He was a multi-sport athlete in high school, totaling over 9,000 yards of offense and 103 touchdowns as the starting quarterback, and scoring over 1,000 points as a basketball player. He committed to Virginia Tech out of high school.
At Virginia Tech, Hooker faced his fair share of adversity with a struggling Hokies' offense. After redshirting as a freshman in 2017, he saw time in 21 games over the next three seasons with the team. He totaled 3,927 yards and 37 touchdowns with seven interceptions as the Hokies' starter.
For his senior season, Hooker opted to transfer to the University of Tennessee in 2021. Under Head Coach Josh Heupel, Hooker saw his production soar in the Vols' high powered offense. In 2021, he totaled 3,561 yards and 36 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
Taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility, Hooker returned to Tennessee for his sixth year in college. The decision ended up paying immediate dividends for him, as he improved even further upon his breakout 2021 campaign. So far, in nine games played, Hooker is already up to 2,888 yards and 25 touchdowns with just two interceptions. As of right now, he is currently second in Heisman Trophy odds according to Fanduel Sportsbook.
Positives
Deep Ball Touch
Hendon Hooker is an intriguing prospect in this draft class. He may not be the most pro ready, due to the offense that he is currently playing in, but he has some tantalizing traits that could translate to the next level.
One of Hooker's best traits is his accuracy on the deep ball. He has been fortunate enough to play with two outstanding receivers in Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman, and he makes great use of them down the field.
These throws below are two of his best from this season (so far). The second one falls incomplete, but it is placed perfectly over the shoulder for a should-be touchdown. Hooker may not have the strongest arm in this draft class, but he does have some beautiful touch and placement on these vertical throws outside the hashes.
Response to Pressure
Hendon Hooker is far from perfect against pressure, but he shows more on tape than a lot of young quarterbacks do when under duress. He is far from a natural creator, like Bryce Young at Alabama, but he uses his athleticism well to keep plays alive.
He rarely gets happy feet in the pocket, and he is fearless at stepping forward in the face of pressure. He does need to improve his mechanics and his footwork when throwing on the move, but he does have that creative ability that modern quarterbacks all seem to possess.
There are still areas to improve in this category, but I like Hooker's ability as a creator more than most in this draft class.
Designed Runs
The NFL is undergoing a bit of a change in 2022. With the rise of mobile quarterbacks, offensive coordinators are beginning to get creative in how they deploy these athletes to stress defenses. Two examples of this are the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.
The Giants (Daniel Jones) and the Eagles (Jalen Hurts) have found ways to maximize their young quarterbacks by using them on designed draws, sweeps, and read options. This added element has helped these young passers take another step forward with their overall game.
Hooker is a player that could absolutely benefit from this change in the NFL. He is coming from a spread offense that has led to great production, but it doesn't really translate to the NFL game. It will take some time for him to adjust to NFL reads and defenses at the next level.
One way that an NFL team could utilize Hooker, while he progresses as a passer, is to use his legs in the designed run game. Think of how the Eagles used Jalen Hurts back in 2021 (which was essentially his rookie season). He only completed 61% of his passes and had a 16/9 TD/INT ratio, but he rushed for 784 yards on the year. That is the route that an NFL team would likely have to go if they invest in Hendon Hooker.
Areas To Improve
Despite being a sixth year senior, Hooker is fairly raw in his game. A lot of that has to do with the offense that he is playing in, but he will take some time to develop at the next level.
The biggest concern, at a micro level, is his footwork. Mechanically speaking, accuracy and velocity are largely determined by the quarterback's feet and their sequencing. If a quarterback is constantly throwing off balance or off of their back foot, they are losing so much velocity and accuracy on their throws.
Hooker isn't horrible with his feet, he is just wildly inconsistent. He struggles to align on throws over the middle of the field and he is unnecessarily off balance on a lot of his passes. This drastically hurts his his overall accuracy.
Poor mechanics and footwork are fixable at the next level, but the issue is the compounding issues. How many teams should be lining up for a 25 year old quarterback coming from a spread offense that has footwork/mechanical issues?
Whichever team takes a shot on Hooker will have to work around his raw passing game until he gets up to speed.
The Bottom Line
Hendon Hooker may not be the most NFL ready draft prospect, but he has some interesting traits to work with. He is an efficient deep ball thrower with some creativity and mobility. He has to improve mechanically and his college offense is worrisome, but there is something there with his game.
For him to succeed at the next level, the team drafting him will have to lean heavily into his ability as a rusher. If he can be used like Jalen Hurts was early in his career, he has a chance to find success. If the team that takes him wants him to be a drop back pocket passer from day one, he will almost certainly struggle.
Overall, Hooker is a lot like most quarterback prospects. He is a risk, but there is something there to work with. I probably wouldn't take him day one, but that could change if he finishes the year strong and has a big Senior Bowl in January.
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